What science has discovered about positive emotional states in pigs and how farm management can actively promote these states.
The science of positive emotions in pigs has advanced rapidly, moving welfare science beyond its traditional focus on reducing negatives toward actively promoting positive states. Pigs anticipate pleasant events, experience something like excitement and curiosity, engage in social play that reflects genuine positive affect, and show cognitive responses to their environments that indicate their emotional state. This means that good pig welfare is not just the absence of pain, fear, and hunger — it includes the presence of curiosity, social pleasure, and the satisfaction of natural behaviour. Farm management that actively creates opportunities for positive emotions represents the frontier of pig welfare practice.